Have you ever watched a market that looks completely flat on the surface, only to realize there’s a wildfire burning underneath? That’s exactly what happened in the NFT space this past week. Total sales hovered right around $65 million—barely a blip from the week before—but the real story isn’t the headline number. It’s where the money is flowing.
I’ve been tracking these cycles for years now, and there’s something undeniably exciting about watching an underdog blockchain suddenly steal the spotlight. This time, it’s Bitcoin stepping up in a big way through its BRC-20 ecosystem. While everyone else is talking about slowdowns, Bitcoin NFTs are charging ahead. Let’s unpack what actually happened.
A Quiet Week on the Surface, But Major Shifts Below
At first glance, the NFT market looks almost sleepy. Sales volume dipped by less than half a percent to roughly $65.6 million. In a world where crypto prices swing 10% before breakfast, that kind of stability feels unusual. But stability doesn’t mean stagnation—far from it.
What caught my eye immediately was the surge in participation. The number of unique buyers jumped over 26%, and sellers weren’t far behind with a 24% increase. Transactions stayed nearly flat, which tells me people aren’t just flipping randomly anymore. They’re being more deliberate. Perhaps we’re seeing the return of collectors rather than pure speculators?
In my experience, these spikes in unique wallets often signal renewed genuine interest. When transaction counts hold steady but wallet numbers explode, it usually means broader adoption is happening. And this time, a lot of that fresh energy is pouring into one particular corner of the market.
Bitcoin BRC-20 Steals the Show
If there’s one takeaway from this week, it’s this: Bitcoin is no longer just digital gold—it’s becoming a serious NFT contender. The BRC-20 category rocketed up more than 335% in sales volume, landing firmly in third place among top collections.
We’re talking about a jump to $3.45 million in sales from relative obscurity. That’s not pocket change. More importantly, it pushed Bitcoin itself into second place among blockchains for NFT volume, with over $12 million total—a 70% increase week-over-week.
I’ve followed Ordinals and BRC-20 since they first emerged, and honestly, I wondered if they’d ever break through the noise. But weeks like this remind me why Bitcoin remains unstoppable. When innovation finds a way onto its chain, it tends to stick—and grow.
The most interesting shifts in crypto often happen quietly at first, then all at once.
The individual sales leaderboard tells the same story. Two massive BRC-20 token sales claimed the top spots: one at nearly $1.92 million and another just behind at $1.79 million. Both traded in BTC, of course. That kind of price action gets attention fast.
DMarket Reclaims the Throne
While Bitcoin grabbed headlines, DMarket quietly reclaimed its position as the top-selling collection. Running on the Mythos chain, it posted $5.32 million in volume—a healthy 72% increase. Over 142,000 transactions flowed through, involving thousands of buyers and sellers.
What’s fascinating here is the sheer activity level. This isn’t a blue-chip collection trading a handful of ultra-expensive pieces. It’s high-volume, accessible NFT trading—almost like the early days of OpenSea but on a gaming-focused chain. Perhaps we’re seeing the future of everyday NFT utility?
Courtyard on Polygon held strong in second place with nearly $5 million, also up significantly. Again, we see tens of thousands of transactions. The pattern is clear: volume is concentrating in platforms that support mass participation rather than just whale trades.
Blue-Chips Mixed, But CryptoPunks Fight Back
The legacy Ethereum collections had a more mixed week. CryptoPunks actually surged 68% to $2.51 million, landing in fourth place overall. Two Punks cracked the top five individual sales, trading for over $100,000 each in ETH.
Milady Maker, on the other hand, took a steep 42% hit, dropping to fifth. Only two buyers and one seller across 130 transactions—that’s thin liquidity for such a prominent name. It makes you wonder if some of the cultural momentum has shifted elsewhere.
- CryptoPunks showing resilience with strong individual sales
- Milady Maker struggling with low buyer interest
- YES BOND on BNB Chain holding steady in sixth
These contrasts highlight how fragmented the NFT attention economy has become. One week a collection dominates conversations; the next, it’s fighting for relevance.
Blockchain Rankings: Bitcoin Closes the Gap
Ethereum still leads in total NFT sales at $20.88 million, but that’s down nearly 24% from last week. More concerning for ETH bulls is the wash trading figure—$3.55 million flagged. When almost 17% of your volume might be artificial, it raises questions.
Bitcoin, meanwhile, posted clean growth to second place. Only $45,000 in suspected wash trading against $12 million total volume. The buyer count jumped 44% to nearly 10,000 unique wallets. That’s real engagement.
| Blockchain | Sales Volume | Weekly Change | Buyers |
| Ethereum | $20.88M | -23.92% | 19,798 |
| Bitcoin | $12.12M | +70.52% | 9,904 |
| BNB Chain | $7.77M | -18.84% | 42,673 |
| Polygon | $6.06M | +44.33% | 56,606 |
| Mythos | $5.46M | +72.71% | 27,248 |
Polygon and Mythos both posted strong gains, driven by their top collections. Solana slipped to seventh with a 23% decline—mirroring Ethereum’s struggles. The multi-chain reality of NFTs is clearer than ever.
What Does This Mean Going Forward?
Here’s where it gets really interesting. We’ve now seen multiple weeks where Bitcoin NFT activity surges while Ethereum cools off. Is this a temporary rotation, or the beginning of a longer trend?
Personally, I lean toward the latter. Bitcoin has the deepest liquidity, the strongest brand, and increasingly sophisticated inscription tools. As fees remain reasonable and developer tooling improves, more projects will build there.
That doesn’t mean Ethereum is done—far from it. Blue-chip collections still command premium pricing, and the ecosystem remains unmatched for complexity. But leadership in volume? That crown might be slipping.
The rising buyer and seller counts across chains suggest the NFT winter might finally be thawing. Not with explosive $500 million weeks like 2021, but with steady, broadening participation. And in crypto, broad participation usually precedes price discovery.
Perhaps the most telling signal is where the biggest individual sales are happening. When million-dollar NFTs trade on Bitcoin instead of Ethereum, narratives shift quickly. Whales vote with their wallets, and right now, some very large wallets are voting Bitcoin.
We’ll need more data to confirm if this momentum sustains, but weeks like this one feel significant. The NFT market isn’t dying—it’s evolving. And right now, Bitcoin is writing the next chapter.
One thing I’ve learned watching crypto markets: never underestimate Bitcoin’s ability to surprise. Whether you’re a die-hard Ordinals believer or a skeptical Ethereum maximalist, the numbers this week demand attention. The game board just shifted, and it will be fascinating to see who adapts first.
